PMI PMP Exam Application & Registration Process [2023]

The process of applying to the PMP certification exam starts by filling an online registration form that is available on pmi.org. You just need to enter your personal details, educational qualifications, and project experience to complete the form. You don’t need to make any payment before your application is accepted.

Even though the process is completely online, it is somewhat confusing and quite cumbersome. Many aspirants find it a bit overwhelming.

In this article, you will find complete details about PMP exam application and online registration process. It includes a step-by-step procedure and tips to complete your application form. It also talks about why PMP applications are rejected, how to clear the PMI audit, and how to find available dates & schedule the exam. Lastly, you will find some project experience examples and in this article.

Note: You can click on the following link for a detailed step by step guide on attaining PMP certification.

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When to Apply for the PMP Certification Exam?

Before applying for the PMP exam, you should meet the PMP qualification requirements. There are basically two prerequisites for applying to the exam. These are:

1. You should have relevant project management experience.
2. You should have completed 35 contact hours of formal project management education.

Both these requirements are mandatory. You can look at our article on PMP eligibility requirements to understand the above two prerequisites completely.

You can get the second one easily by enrolling into a PMP certification training. However, you should meet requirement #1 before enrolling into any training program. Otherwise, the training will go waste.

You can register for the exam immediately after completing the training program.

If you do not have the relevant project management experience and do not meet the qualification criteria of PMI then I would suggest you to apply for the CAPM exam. You can read our article on comparison between CAPM vs PMP certification to understand more about CAPM.

If you meet both the requirements then you can read the next section for understanding the various steps required for applying to the exam.

PMP Exam Application and Registration Process

On the face, applying for the PMP exam can be daunting but if you divide the whole task into small individual steps, the process becomes quite simple.

Here are the seven steps to complete the application process:

1. Collect Information

You should have the required information at your fingertips before you start filling out the application form.

The process of filling PMP application will become straightforward after you have the relevant information at your disposal.

You should collect all of the following before filling out the forms:

1. your personal information documents including date of birth and address documents.
2. your school and college education certificates.
3. your professional experience certificates.
4. certificate for 35 hours of formal project management education.
5. information related to the projects that you have managed in past.
6. contact information of your colleagues and manager from the past projects.

2. Fill Online Form

There are two ways to fill the application viz. online and offline. Online mode is instantaneous. In offline mode, you have to send your application through courier.

The application requires information such as your education, experience, etc. PMI gives different settings to fill out the application. The online application once started cannot be canceled. You can save it for later and edit it. The saved details can be edited and some new information can be added which is required.

PMI gives you a 90 days duration to complete your online application. During this time PMI will send you email reminders to let you know the status of your application.

3. Submit Application

You can simply submit the application after completing it.

You should check the information thoroughly before hitting the submit button. Always check your email address. It should be correct and valid as the primary mode of communication for PMI. Every update you get through your email.

4. Wait for PMI’s Approval or Rejection

Once you submit the application, PMI will review it. Typically, the process takes about 5 business days. Review of offline applications takes up to 10 business days.

Once the application is reviewed, PMI will notify you. If they have any question they will send you an email with further instructions.

5. Pay Fee

Once you submitted your online application, PMI will notify you for the payment of the application fee. For completing your payment you have to go to your online application and select your mode of examination and then accordingly you have to pay your fee. If you are a PMI member you will get discount while making payment. The rate of payment depends on whether you are a PMI member or not.

If you are a member then for Computer-based testing(CBT) you have to pay $405 and for Paper-based(PBT) $250. And if you are a non-member then for CBT the cost is $555 and for PBT the cost is $400.

If you apply for membership before applying for the application make sure you will receive the confirmation email for your membership otherwise rates will be applied as per the nonmember of PMI. PMI will not refund any money if you receive membership afterward.

You can make a payment online or offline. Online payment will process fast as compared to an offline mode that includes money order, mail a check, credit card information, etc. If you did offline payment then payment has to be received with your application.

6. Complete PMI Audit

The audit process comes after your application form is accepted and the payment is made. The PMI selects random applications for the audit process.

You will be notified through email whether your application is selected for an audit or not. With all the terms and requirements mentioned that is needed for an audit. You need to submit all the copies of your document that include your education certificates, the signature of your supervisor from the project whose experience is mentioned while filling the experience section of your application, certificate about your contact hour.

All the documents need to submit within 90 days. If you provide all your documents on time then the audit will take five to seven days to complete. You should send all your documents in one envelope so that it will avoid any delays. When you successfully complete your audit your 1 year eligibility period will start.

If you don’t complete your submission or didn’t follow audit guidelines properly it will cause audit failure. This will result in a suspension of 1 year for the certification. Just follow the PMI guidelines properly and you will face no issues.

7. Schedule the Exam

After you successfully complete all the steps including your examination fee you need to schedule your exam. You should read PMI’s scheduling instructions document before starting this step.

PMP examination can be done through two ways CBT (Computer Based Exam) and PBT (Paper Based exam).

PMI will send you an email including PMI Eligibility ID which enables you to schedule your exam at the Perason VUE website. It is a first come first serve process so you need to book your seat fast. If you want a slot of your choice.

In case you lost your email that consists your PMI Eligibility ID you can find the same on PMI website under myPMI section. Follow the on-screen instruction to book your examination slot. On the site, you will be able to search for an exam center with seats available based on your preferred time. After you confirm your booking you will receive a confirmation email.

Here a the steps for scheduling your exam:

1. Go to PMP exam page of Perason VUE website.
2. Follow the instructions as written on the page.
3. You will have to use “PMI® Eligibility ID” for booking a time slot.
4. Select your preferred exam date and time.
5. Review your appointment information.
6. Make a note of your appointment details and the unique 16 digit confirmation number. You will also get this info through a confirmation email.

The confirmation email consists of a 16 digit confirmation number, it is advisable to keep this number at a safe place. This will require when in case you need to talk to the customer care of Perason VUE for any query related to the exam arrangement. Or it is also said that you should bring a copy of it with you on the examination center for safer side. Just in case of any problem you can make a call to the Perason VUE customer care and they will help you out in any way.

Reschedule the Exam

If you want, you can reschedule your exam up to two days prior to your originally scheduled exam date and time. For doing this, You need to pay an administrative fee as follows:

• Before 30 days: no fee
• Within 30 days and 2 days before the exam: $70
• Within 2 days: no fees; fees is forfeited

Tips and Tricks for Filling PMP Application Form

1. Collect required information before starting the online application process.
2. Keep copies of all educational & experience certificates, and 35 hours training certificate handy.
3. Get 35 hours of formal project management education before starting the online application process.
4. Double check your email ID before submitting the application. PMI will use this ID to contact you.
5. Review your information before submitting the application.
6. Inform your erstwhile colleagues and mangers that you are going to apply for the PMP exam. PMI may contact them if your application is audited.
7. Abide by the PMI code of ethics and submit truthful information to the best of your knowledge.

Project Management Experience Examples

Here are some project examples from real applications that were accepted by PMI.

1. Project Name – Sigma
Project Role – Developer
Project Description – To create forms that will improve the Customer and Banker Experience by simplifying how the relationship teams request work items, by directing work requests directly to the actioning team will reduce effort and wait time, further this structured work request will enable Progressive Automation.

2. Project Name – Zeta
Project Role – Consultant
Project Description – Initiation: Develop Project charter, Risk Register, Assumption Log, Obtain Contractual Agreements, Kick-Off meeting.
Planning: Planned for Scope, Schedule, Cost, resource, and communication. Executing: schedule adherence, quality, team, stakeholder management.
M&C: Quality, deviation, risk, change request management.
Closure: Release resources, upload knowledge Assets, Invoice closure, and Obtain customer satisfaction reports.

3. Project Name – Gamma
Project Role – Project Leader
Project Description – To allow Autopay system data for consumption by front-end systems. Development of APIs to provide connectivity to the Autopay system.
Initiating: Dev project charter, Assumption log, budgeting.
Planning: Plan scope mgmt, Created Proj mgmt plan, Integration, Tailoring, Budgeting, resource mgmt.
Executing: Proj schedule, CR, Team mgmt. realization, communication, stake engagement plan, and acquire resources.
M&C: Quality mgmt. & deviation control, risk mgmt, RCA, unit testing, SIT.
Closing: post-go-live support, user manuals.

4. Project Name – Zen
Project Role –  Project Manager
Project Description – Update an existing geodatabase of 23 areas in Denmark.
Initiating: Prepared project charter and assumptions log.
Planning: Created project mgmt plan, Quality plan, Development the schedule, Budgeting, Ident/plan risks &responses, Prep. the RACI matrix.
Executing: Updated the team about the project management/quality plan and schedule.
M&C: Regular mtrg of progress and quality-deviation control using the data/reports-RCA. Mtrg the planned risks and RACI.
Closing: Prepared evaluation, lesson learned document, raised final invoices and closed the project.

Get Your PMP Application Reviewed By Experts

If you still have a question about PMP application process then you can contact us with your query and we will be happy to answer it.

Conclusion

While filling your details make sure that you have every detail with you. Your information should be exact and true. This way you will not face any problem. Keep your documents and all the related photocopies with you while filling out information.

If you are selected for an audit then you can send these documents to the PMI. Just be true and you will face no issues in your application. In case you have any issues just contact the PMI customer support they will help you out.

Best of luck with your PMP exam.